This Thing Between Us
by missparker85
Summary: House would have give her his sperm the natural way, had she asked. HouseCuddy
1. Chapter 1

Cuddy came into his office on a Friday. It was late afternoon and he was back lit by the sun - she could only see the outline of him, the darkness beneath his eyes. It was the first clear day of the week and House looked tired and in pain. She had little sympathy for him, however. She'd spent the morning on her knees in front of the toilet.

"Hey," he said. "Whatever it was, I didn't do it."

"I don't think we should tell anyone," she said, knowing that with House, it was always better to simply cut to the chase.

"That you're pregnant?" he asked, loudly. She glanced around but the hallway and lounge were clear.

"They'll figure it out," she said, through clenched teeth.

"Oh! You mean that I'm your baby daddy?" he asked, raising one eyebrow suggestively.

"That you're the father," she acknowledged. "It's nobody's business but ours."

"I already told Wilson," he said, eying the red and gray ball that sat on his desk.

"Fine. You, me, and your only friend, and that's it, okay?" she said. He nodded, a mild consent, and she turned to go.

"Cuddy," he said. She paused and looked over her shoulder.

"What?"

"I have two friends," he said. "I wouldn't give a cup of my sperm to just anyone." She smiled softly at him.

"I know," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She passed Cameron in the hallway and avoided her eyes. She didn't even know how she was going to break it to Stacy.

oooo

Wilson stopped by her office on Monday, and stared and her long enough to make her uncomfortable.

"How long, exactly, have you known?" she asked.

"How long has House known?" he retorted. She shrugged one shoulder and put her forehead on the desk. "I know it's a little late to ask, but are you sure about this?"

"I'm pregnant!" she said. "What kind of question is that?"

"That's why you went on that date with me, isn't it? It was an interview."

"You should take it as a compliment," she said.

"I would, except that I lost to House!" he said, almost laughing. "That's insanity."

"I've known House a long time. As stupid as it sounds, as it is, I trust House."

"Maybe I kind of get it," he said. "But if you want someone to hold your hair back while you vomit, you made the wrong choice."

"You don't have to worry," she said. "I have what I want."

"Okay," he said.

"Don't… tell anyone," she said. "That it's House, I mean."

"Come on, who'd even believe that?" Wilson asked. Cuddy glared and pointed him out of her office. He held up his hands in defeat and walked away.

oooo

Sunday morning, Cuddy was in sweatpants and an over sized t-shirt laying in her bed, watching television. She felt horrible, like she never wanted to eat anything again. She'd thrown up five times in the last hour and the cup of tea on her nightstand sat untouched and cold.

For the first time since she'd gotten the news she was pregnant, she wished there was someone there to make her feel better. Not twenty minutes later, she heard her front door open.

"Go away," she called.

"What if I was someone coming to kill you?" House asked, leaning against her bedroom door frame.

"Only you would let yourself in with my hidden key. God, what is that?" she asked, covering her mouth, motioning to his arm.

"A bucket of chicken. I thought you might be hungry."

She bolted to the bathroom and he rolled his eyes. He set down the chicken and limped in after her. She was almost too pathetic to look at but he sat on the edge of her tub. Her hair was held back by an elastic, so he just put his hand on her arched spine. She finished and grabbed a towel from the rack and wiped her mouth. Her eyes were filled with tears.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay," she said, sitting down on the bathmat, her sweaty forehead against her knees. He drummed his fingers against her spine. "You didn't have to come."

"Nope," he said. "I did anyway." He helped her up and they made their way slowly to the bed. She laid down and he hopped up on the bed next to her, crossing his legs. He thought she might say something, but she must have been feeling pretty awful to let him in her bed with no comment. "What are we watching?" he asked.

"E! True Hollywood Story," she said, but her eyes were closed and the television was on mute. "Let's just rest."

"Cuddy?" he asked.

"What?"

"I would have given you my sperm the natural way. Would have been cheaper, at least," he said. She managed a laugh.

"It turns out that I have pretty good insurance. Didn't have to pay a dime," she said.

"It could have been fun," he said.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Maybe next time." This time House chuckled. "Will you get me some water?"

"Sure," he said, getting up. He took the bucket of chicken with him. No use wasting a perfectly good fried meal. He remembered where everything was in the kitchen and got her a tall glass of ice water but when he got back to her room, she was sleeping. House put the water within her reach, and let himself out of the house.

oooo

The first time she had to use a safety pin to let out a skirt, she knew that this was real. The morning sickness had passed and now she was just gaining weight. No one had said anything but she could tell the weight gain wasn't going unnoticed. She had a check-up today. Her appointment was first thing in the morning and she put on her lab coat as soon as she got in to hide her make-shift outfit.

The exam room was empty when she let herself in but within a few minutes the door opened House came in.

"Lay down," he said. "We have only a few minutes."

She unbuttoned her blouse from the bottom until her slightly rounded stomach became exposed. He eyed her skirt and touched the safety pin lightly.

"That's a good sign," he assured her.

"I know," she said. She undid the pin and the skirt slithered down until enough of her abdomen was exposed. He put the gel on her and started to move the wand around her until he found the heartbeat. "Oh," she said.

"It's alive," he agreed but their was no edge of sarcasm.

"How does it look?" she asked, trying to crane her neck to see.

"Hold still, it looks fine," he said. He removed the wand and the sound faded. "Perfectly healthy." He handed her a box of tissues and she wiped the goop off.

"Thank you," she said.

"Take your vitamins," he reminded her.

"Of course," she said.

"If you need anything..."

"Got it," she said, fully dressed now. He nodded and she left the room first. A few minutes later her made his way back to his team.

Cameron was the only one in the lounge, sipping coffee and reading their current patient's file.

"Where have you been?" she asked. "I paged you."

"I left my pager in the office," he said.

"I know, I heard it," she said, pointing through the glass wall to his office. "It isn't like you."

"I know change is scary, Dr. Cameron, but I think if you just push through…"

"Never mind," she said, closing the file. "The lab results are in. It isn't Lupis."

"It never is," he said, crossing it off the white board. "Where are Curly and Moe?"

"Cafeteria," she said. "Were you with Cuddy?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"I couldn't find her either," she said.

"That's just spooky," House said and left before she could ask any more questions.

oooo

Later that day, in an unmarked manila envelope on her desk (inside her locked office), was the print out of the sonogram – the real first picture of her child. She thought it was kind of sweet, despite the breaking and entering. In fact, he'd been continually, for lack of a better word, nice to her since she'd announced that her fertility treatments had worked – that she was pregnant. She assured him, at the time, that all she wanted were his chromosomes and nothing else and that was the deal he agreed to, but now he seemed to care. Could it be he actually wanted to… be a part of her life? She didn't buy it. The child's life, maybe, but why would he ever want her

House came to her house three times a week with food, or a movie, or just for company. He never made a big deal and nothing inappropriate ever occurred. She did prefer when he was around, except for at work because that would never change.

There was no hiding her condition at the date of her next sonogram.

They stayed late until the clinic was well closed.

"You're gaining quickly," House commented.

"You're telling me," she muttered. Her feet were sore and maternity clothes were never flattering. He found the heartbeat much more quickly because the beat was stronger. She lifted her head a little and strained to hear more clearly. Something sounded off.

"What?" he asked.

"Recalibrate the machine, I think there's an echo," she said. He closed his eyes and listened again.

"That's no echo," he said. "It's a second heartbeat."

Cuddy was glad she was lying down. It was a common occurrence of fertility treatments – better two babies than none, but she suddenly felt terribly overwhelmed.

"Oh God, I'm never going to be able to do this alone," she said, putting her hands over her face.

"Hey," he said. "You're not alone."

She parted her fingers and peeked out.

"I'm going to get really fat."

"But your breasts will be huge," he said. "Totally worth it."

"Is this really what I want?" she asked him, her eyes large.

"Hmm," he said. "I can't speak for you but I know I don't not want it." From House, it was a good thing.

They walked to the parking garage together where Wilson was waiting by House's motorcycle.

"Your secret is out," he said.

"You said you wouldn't tell," House accused.

"I didn't. No offense, Lisa, but look at you," he said.

"I'm fat," she said.

"You're glowing," he shot back. Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I heard the nurses talking about it. Maybe if we all worked at a textile factory you could hide it but we all have some degree of medical training and you're the very picture of pregnancy."

"But they don't know it's me," House said.

"No," he conceded. "But they suspect."

"We're hardly together," Cuddy said. "We're careful."

"That's it," Wilson said. "When was the last time you two had it out in the middle of the clinic? When was the last time he crashed your meetings? When was the last time she stopped you mid-MRI?"

"He's right," House said. He put his hand onto the small of her back.

"That!" Wilson pointed. "Are you… what are you two now?" He shook his head. "I'm not even sure I want to know. Cuddy, you need to circulate a memo. You need to tell the truth."

House hated when Wilson was right.

oooo

Cameron, predictably, took it the hardest. Foreman acted like it was just another House related shenanigan and Chase was tickled by it, saying, "You knocked up Cuddy?"

When House said, "Twins!" Cameron excused herself. She didn't come back and so House sent Cuddy because he wasn't supposed to go into the women's locker room anymore or there would be yelling.

Cameron was there, sitting on the bench in front of her locker with amazing posture and no expression.

"Allison?" Cuddy called.

"Oh, are we friends now, Lisa?" she asked, snidely.

"You've been gone a while," she said. "Are you all right?" Cameron looked up at Cuddy and gave a harsh laugh.

"You are pregnant! I can't believe I missed it. Guess I didn't want to see," she said.

"I hope this won't affect our working relationship," Cuddy said, carefully.

"I'm not going to quit because House doesn't love me," she said. She'd already played that card, after all.

"This wasn't about love," Cuddy said. "House gave me his sperm."

"Don't be naïve," Cameron said. "He couldn't marry Stacy and he couldn't even go on a real date with me but he gave you twins? That's huge." She got up and walked to the door. "Thanks for the talk," she said sarcastically.

Cuddy sat on the bench alone now, her hand on her stomach.

No one had told Stacy.

oooo

"I'll call her," Cuddy said, later, when they were both in Cuddy's kitchen.

"No, please let me," House said.

"You just want to get off on her pain," Cuddy accused.

"Wouldn't you rather her hate me than you?" he said.

"You're right," Cuddy handed him the phone. He dialed and she went back to chopping lettuce for the salad. She wore yoga pants and a tank top and her belly protruded languidly.

"Stacy, it's Greg," he said. Cuddy stilled her knife, wanting to listen. "I'm fine, nothing is wrong. I have some news." Cuddy moved to stand in front of him where he sat at the wooden table. He put his hand on her belly. "Cuddy's pregnant and she's having twins and they're mine." There was a heavy silence. "Thank you. She's fine. Give our best to Mark." He hung up.

"Well?" she asked.

"She said congratulations," he said. "She's glad we've decided to be happy."

"Good," Cuddy said, moving back to the cutting board. "Go watch TV, dinner is almost ready." He took a beer from the fridge and limped away.

For the first time that night, House stayed and slept with Cuddy – her back pressed against his chest and his arm around her protectively. They had not had sex but they were almost something like a family.


	2. Chapter 2

Cuddy was half Jewish, the half that counted, but her family had always celebrated Christmakah. Her father had died when she was 23 and had been raised a lapsed Lutheran. House's family was, she believed, Methodist, so when Cuddy's brother asked about Christmakah, she invited everyone over to her home and stood over House until he'd invited his parents as well.

"I want my sperm back," he said, tossing the phone away where it landed with a silent thud on the couch.

"I have a confession. I haven't told my family about the babies." She bit her lip.

"Neither have I," he said, but that wasn't all that surprising. Cuddy laughed nervously. "I understand my reluctance – you've met my parents, but you seem… you're the prodigal daughter who does no wrong. Why the radio silence?"

"Does no wrong? I'm unmarried – that's enough to offend both of my religions," she said.

"We'll be fine," he said, looking down into his lap, fiddling with his cane.

"They're just going to arrive and I'll be…" She touched her stomach.

"At work, probably," he said. She had to agree with that. "I always work on Christmas," House reminded her. "I like my time and a half."

"Too bad," she said. "We're in this together."

"Can't we just invite the families to the fifth birthday party or something?" he whined.

"No," she said. "Jewish Christmas."

"Yuck," he said.

"All right, I'm taking a bath and going to bed. You staying?"

"Fine," he said, easily. Every once in a while, it hit her how strange and attractive this new House was. She didn't want to lose him and this too was a strange sensation.

She ran the bath and she could hear the television in the other room. He'd been complaining about her lack of DVR and she hadn't told him but she'd called the cable company and it was coming this weekend.

She was rinsing conditioner our of her hair when he knocked loudly enough on the door for her to hear it under the water. She sat up so quickly that water sloshed over the edge and soaked the bathmat.

"Yes?" she called uncertainly.

"Do you need anything? You've been in there a while," he said through the door. He was probably just bored.

"I'm okay," she said. It was then she felt it. The first flutter of movement – the first tangible sign of life deep within herself. "Oh!" she cried. "House!"

The bathroom door flew open and House came in.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes a little wild and searching.

"I felt… I felt the babies move," she said, crossing her arms self-consciously. Weeks of him spending the night and this was the first time he'd seen her naked. She thought they'd shown considerable self-restraint actually.

"Oh," he said, looking at the ceiling. "Good."

"I was excited," she said. "I…" She drew her knees. "I'm okay now." He nodded, stealing one last glance before limping out. She pulled the plug and sat while the water drained around her. The mat squished uncomfortably under her feet but she ignored it and stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. House sat at the foot of the bed and she couldn't hear the television in the other room.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Let's just go to bed," he said.

"It was, you know, you're here all the time. You sleep in my bed, you eat my food, I bought you cable! So you saw me naked. Big deal." She sat next to him, the edge of the towel riding high on her thigh. "Most couples who are pregnant have done much more."

"Much more," he murmured.

"House."

"My leg hurts. Can we sleep?" he asked, fishing his Vicodin out of his pocket and popping one into his mouth.

"Yeah," she said. He shrugged off his coat and she put on her boxers and tank top in the bathroom. When she came out, he was already in bed, his back to her. She climbed into bed, turned off the lights, and closed her eyes. Three minutes passed, maybe, before House rolled over to face her. She turned her head to look at him.

"What?" she asked.

"You bought me cable?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. He leaned in and kissed her. Cuddy was surprised but relieved. She kissed him back. He put his arms around her and they kissed until her lips were swollen and her skin grew tender from his stubble. They slept pressed together the whole night through.

oooo

In the morning, when her alarm went off at 5:30, House's bad leg was a heavy weight over her hips. She groaned, and slapped at the snooze button.

"House," she said and elbowed his side.

"Ugh," he said.

"House, move," she said. Any other person, she'd shove the limb off her but she didn't want to hurt him – at least not before he'd had painkillers to take off the edge.

"My name is Greg," he said, using a hand to lift his leg off of her.

"The surname thing is yours," she said, getting out of the bed.

"For the women that… for you, it's Greg," he said.

"All right," she said.

"5:30am is insanity," he said.

"Every time you say that it sinks in a little further," she said, dryly. "My beauty takes time." He looked at her sleepily from the bed – she'd gone to bed with her hair wet and now it was curly and wild. She had no make-up on and rumpled clothes. Her round belly peeked out from above her shorts and she stood looking out the window with one hand on her hip, trying to gauge how the day might be even though the sun had barely risen.

"You're ridiculously beautiful," he said. "So beautiful that ugly people must loathe you with every fiber of their being for taking up more than your fair share of the world's beauty." Cuddy turned to look at him with an expression of disbelief etched across her features.

"House!" she said. "That was –"

"Fuck, woman, my name is Gregory!"

"That was almost a moment we had there," she sighed.

"What can I say, I just gotta be me," he said. She rolled her eyes.

oooo

House's parents came first. He sent Chase to pick them up at the airport while he brooded in his office. Cuddy tried not to think about the onslaught of family arriving in the next two days – the parents and the nieces and the siblings. Cuddy had hired a maid service to clean every crevice of her house and though House's parents were staying at his apartment she had her mother and her brother, sister-in-law, and two nieces staying at her house. She gave her mother the guest room, and her brother and his wife the fold out and she still wasn't sure where she was going to put the girls.

She didn't know what any of them would say when they saw her. She was pregnant and that could not be denied. Her skirts were no longer tailored perfectly to her narrow form. She wore elastic waists and shirts with 'room to expand' and flat shoes because high heels made her ankles swell. She pulled her hair up off her neck and she wore a size up in lab coat. She had two babies swimming around in her uterus and she was going to have to tell.

Mr. and Mrs. House arrived around 4:00 with Chase looking haggard and underpaid. Chase couldn't find House (hiding in some janitorial closet somewhere, no doubt) and so he brought them to her office, with a smirk.

'Asshole,' she thought. He was her least favorite lackey of the day.

"Hello," she said. "It's nice to see you again."

"Hello, Dr. Cuddy," Mr. House said, trying not to openly notice her condition.

"I've paged your son, he should be here any moment," she promised.

"We'll have a seat," Mrs. House said knowingly. Cuddy nodded and motioned to her sofa where they sat primly.

"I hope your flight was all right." she said, sitting in the chair across from them.

"It was fine," Mr. House said.

"Would you like some coffee or tea?" she asked. "Let me get you some. I'll be right back." She stepped out of her office and sent her assistant to the cafeteria to get coffee. She used his phone to call House's cell phone.

"House."

"I know you got my page," she hissed.

"Perhaps," he said.

"Please, Greg, please don't strand me in my office with your parents," she said in a soft voice. There was a pause.

"Fine," he said and the line went dead. House appeared before the coffee and she smiled, careful not to touch him.

"Hi," he said coming in. "Dr. Cuddy graciously gave me the rest of the day off so I can take you home now." Cuddy knew better than to argue.

"Sure," she said. "But before you go. Don't you think…?" She turned to House.

"Now?" he asked.

"When?" she retorted. "Quick, like a band-aid." He shrugged.

"See that?" He pointed to her belly with the foot of his cane. "Mine. Let's go."

Cuddy and House's parents all wore the same shocked expression – though Cuddy's bordered on horrified.

"Is this true?" Mrs. House asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," Cuddy said, reverting back to her sixteen-year-old self, blushing like the time she and her first boyfriend got caught necking by his mother.

"Was it… a surprise?" asked Mr. House.

"No, sir," Cuddy said. "It was quite on purpose."

"Are you happy?" Mrs. House inquired. Cuddy turned to House who was looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Of course," he said. "Can we go now boss?"

"Yeah," she said. Her brother and his family were coming in that night anyway. "I'll see you in the morning." She shook their hands and Mrs. House squeezed Cuddy's hand tightly. Her ears burned for the rest of the night.

oooo

Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital was about twenty-five miles from the airport and she wasn't sure all the luggage would fit in her Mercedes but Wilson lent his SUV gladly. He'd been relieved she'd invited him for Christmas dinner as he'd had nowhere to go.

She made the drive silently. She wasn't sure what she was going to say. She felt that she should be mad at House for outing her to his parents that way but she was almost used to him now. Still, she wanted to be more delicate with her family. She parked the car and went to wait in the baggage claim. Soon she saw her brother, Thomas, appear at the top of the escalator followed by his wife Ellie and the girls, Natalie and Olive. Her brother smiled widely upon spotting her but by the time he reached the bottom of the escalator, his mouth was hanging open.

"Good Lord," he said.

"Don't tell mom," she said, panicking.

"Are you really?" He looked her up and down but she shrugged and crouched to hug her nieces. Natalie was 11 and took in the situation knowingly. Olive, who was eight, giggled.

"Hey Lisa," Ellie said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Hi," she said, standing up. "How are you girls?"

"Good," Olive said. "You look like Mrs. Smithers."

"Do I? Who is that?" asked Cuddy.

"My teacher!" Olive said..

"Is she going to have a baby?"

"Yeah," Olive said.

"Well, I'm going to have two!" Cuddy whispered.

"Hold on," Thomas said.

"Go get your bags, I'll tell you everything," she said, waving him to the line of black suitcases on parade.

"Your mother is going to figure this out, you know," Ellie said, grabbing Olive's collar so she didn't scamper off. Natalie stood nearby, stoic.

"I know, but I don't want to do it over the phone," she said.

"Twins?" Ellie asked. "I mean whose are they? How far along are you? They don't have phones in that fancy hospital of yours?" Cuddy gave her a sideways glare. She didn't feel like repeating herself again in the car so she turned to Natalie.

"How's school?" she asked. Natalie looked at her and said nothing.

"She hasn't said a word in two months," Ellie confided. "We have no idea why."

Thomas struggled over with the luggage and Olive tripped over her untied shoelace and began to cry. Cuddy knew it would be a long week.

oooo

By the time House appeared at her window, everyone had finally gone to bed. The girls were on the hide-a-bed in the living room and her brother and Ellie were in the guest room – she could hear Thomas snoring down the hall.

"Hey good lookin'," he said, leaning against the windowsill.

"How'd you break free?" she asked.

"I paged myself," he said. She smiled and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"I left the back door unlocked but don't wake the girls, for the love of God, don't." He waved her away and she closed the window against the freezing air. He came in and they promptly got into bed where it was warm. Once snuggled in, she promptly lifted her shirt to show him her belly.

"It's itchy," she whined.

"Yes," he said. "You're outgrowing your elasticity."

"Fix it," she said.

"You have a medical degree as well, you know." But he dug around under the sink in the bathroom until he found what he'd placed there weeks ago in anticipation of this very moment. A bottle of vitamin E pills. She lay back on the bed and he perforated the capsules and rubbed the gel into her irritated skin. "It will help the stretch marks too," he assured her. "How is your kin folk?" He adopted a redneck accent.

"My brother looks like I kicked him, my sister-in-law is pissed I didn't tell her five and a half months ago and my oldest niece, Natalie, hasn't talked in two months. The youngest is cute as a button, though," she sad.

"Wow," he said. "I wouldn't have asked." She would have smacked him, but her stomach did feel better.

"What about your parents?" she asked.

"They are thrilled beyond belief, actually. They can't wait to meet you and be your bestest new friends."

"That's kind of nice, actually," she said, relieved. Mrs. House had probably given up on the idea of grandchildren.

"For you," he said, petulantly. She felt little sympathy for him and they soon killed the lights, laying quietly, talking in whispers and falling easily to sleep when the heat came on and made the room drowsy and warm. In the morning, at her early alarm, House got up and dressed without vocal complaint so he could sneak out before anyone woke. She wasn't ashamed but he deserved a formal introduction. She could get ready in half the time when he wasn't constantly vying for her attention and so she went in early with the hopes of leaving early. She left a note in the kitchen asking her family to help themselves, call if they needed her, and she'd be home soon. She hoped it wasn't a lie.

Christmas holidays were hard to anticipate. Sometimes the hospital was slow and sometimes packed. Usually, at least, the clinic stayed empty since Princeton's campus was closed for winter break. Cuddy was relieved to see that two days before Christmas, the hospital was quiet and under booked. She was scheduled to have the next three days off – always on call, but no one wanted to talk about donations during their vacations anyway.

She went to House's office to see Cameron in the lounge transcribing dictation and House watching cartoons on his old television. He didn't have a patient and they didn't want one.

"Where are Chase and Foreman?" she asked.

"Don't know, don't care," he said. "Shh, Frosty is about to come alive."

"Are you coming over later?" she asked.

"Tomorrow, I thought. When your mother arrives." He was right, it was the plan, but she was just tired of Thomas asking questions about him.

"All right," she said.

"I have dinner reservations for my parents," he said. "Boring."

"Well, I'm going," she said, crossing her arms over her stomach. "My feet hurt and I have to pee every ten minutes and I'd rather be with my passive-aggressive baby brother than here." She turned to go.

"Hey," he said. "You're pretty."

She left, soothed in spite of herself.


	3. Chapter 3

She took her family to get a tree and spent the rest of the night putting up decorations and covering the tree. In the morning, Thomas, Ellie, and Olive went to pick up her mother and Natalie stayed behind with Cuddy to finish decorating the house and to make brunch. Cuddy was almost relieved to not have to make small talk and Natalie took her direction well.

"I don't know if your mom and dad will like Dr. House very much," she said.

Natalie didn't respond.

"He's off-putting," she admitted. Natalie shrugged. "He's snide and self-serving," she continued. "He never listens to me at work."

Natalie smiled.

"Yeah, okay, I like him," she admitted. By the time brunch was finished, she heard the car in the driveway. "Grandma is here," she said, trying not to sound nervous. Natalie abandoned setting the table and ran out the front door into the snow without boots or a coat. Cuddy heard excited voices and car doors closing. She stood in the kitchen helplessly. She wished House was there to take the brunt of the attention.

"Where is my daughter?" she heard her mother call from the entry way. She wiped her hands on the dishtowel and walked out.

"Hi, Mom," she said, standing tall. Her mother stared at her, her eyes nearly popping out of her head. "How was your trip?"

"Lisa!" she said. "Goodness."

"I told you she had a surprise," Thomas said, guiltily.

"I know I probably should have said something," she said. Her mother raised her hand to her mouth and walked past her into the bathroom.

"That went well," Ellie said.

"30 seconds to make mom cry is a new record," Thomas said. "Go wash your hands, girls," he said. The girls, watching over their shoulders, went into the kitchen to use the sink.

"You go eat," Cuddy ordered. "I'll deal with this." She knocked on the bathroom door. "Mom?" she called. "Can I come in?"

"It's your house," her mother called back. Cuddy opened the door to find her mother sitting on the closed toilet, dabbing at her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Cuddy said. "Let me explain."

"I don't understand why you want to cut me out of your life!" her mother wailed, fresh tears falling.

"I'm not young anymore! I went though fertility treatments to harvest eggs but my doctor suggested now or never. I went through one insemination and I didn't think it would take. But it did and I wasn't married and I didn't want you to be ashamed and it just… got away from me," she said.

"That's a sad excuse," her mother accused.

"Maybe," Cuddy said.

"Tell me everything now," her mother demanded.

"Mom, brunch…"

"NOW!"

"All right! I'm about six months along. It's… twins."

"Twins!" her mother exclaimed, showing real excitement.

"The thing is, the father isn't some anonymous donor. He's a doctor at the hospital."

"So you are seeing someone?" her mother asked.

"It's complicated," she said. "He's coming for dinner and bringing his parents so if we could just all get along… I'm starving, can we eat?" She took her mother's hand.

"Okay, okay," her mother said.

oooo

Her mother and Ellie set about starting the dinner and Cuddy went to take a slight nap. She was tired a lot of the time now and meant only to sleep for an hour or so but woke in the late afternoon to the sound of the doorbell. She knew it was House and his parents but she was tired and groggy and they could just introduce themselves. Before long, her bedroom door opened and House came in. She closed her eyes, feigning sleep. The mattress shifted and she felt a cool hand on her forehead. She opened her eyes.

"Hi," he said.

"You're here."

"You feeling okay?" he asked. "You're warm."

"Just tired," she said. "I've slept for too long."

"Thanks for helping facilitate the introductions," he accused.

"Sorry," she said, but she wasn't. "Let's stay for a moment."

"Okay," he said, stretching out beside her. She snuggled up against his long form.

"My mom was…" She shook her head. "Hurt." House's fingers rubbed the taut skin of her belly and it felt nice.

"Understandable," he said. "She'll forgive you."

"Maybe as long as there are 20 fingers and 20 toes." He chuckled and placed a kiss on her warm neck. "We should probably go."

"I hate the holidays," he said, against her skin. She felt his tongue dart out and squeezed her eyes closed. Lately, her hormones had been running wild throughout her body and the random attacks of arousal were becoming hard to ignore. His hand wandered up from her stomach to her tender breast. She bit her pillow. She rolled over to face him and pressed her mouth to his, throwing her leg over his hip so she could push against him. It was forward for her, but he didn't seem to mind.

"AUNTIE LISA!" Olive's voice broke through the door. "It's dinner time!" She and House broke apart and Cuddy called out.

"Okay!"

House's eyes were bright and she smiled at him.

"Later?" she said. He nodded and they reluctantly got out of bed. She pulled her wild hair into a plastic clip and they exited the bedroom trying to look nonchalant and innocent.

She shook hands with House's parents again. The table looked pretty set with china and candles.

"Dr. House," Mrs. Cuddy said. "You're very pleasant looking."

"Thanks," he said, running a hand through his already mussed hair.

"I expect attractive babies," Mrs. Cuddy said.

"Mom…" Thomas started.

"Do you have any other children?" Mrs. Cuddy asked House's parents.

"No, sadly," Mrs. House said. "But grandchildren are a blessing." Cuddy wondered how House had come from such kind people.

oooo

Cuddy changed the sheets on her bed and gave it to her mother. She, having nowhere to sleep, went home with House. He'd put his parents up in a hotel and so she spent the night at his place for the first time. His place was tasteful if masculine and he moved around with comfort.

"I have beer and water," he said.

"I just want to lay down," she said, setting down her overnight bag.

"Okay," he said. She took the bathroom first to wash her face and brush her teeth and put on her night clothes – a t-shirt from the AIDs walk and yoga pants. She got into bed while House showered and by the time he came out, she was long asleep. He was okay with that and lay awake a long time after he turned off the lamp. Outside, snow fell harshly, layering all the windowsills and cars on the narrow street of the college town. It didn't feel like Christmas Eve but then it hadn't for years. Still, he felt pretty good. He kept waiting for himself to get sick of Cuddy but it hadn't yet happened. When Stacy moved in, he'd been ruffled for a few weeks, adjusting to her but the adjustment with Cuddy was almost instant. She had something of his and he wanted to protect it always.

When he woke up, she wasn't in bed anymore and he could see the bathroom door ajar, the room empty. He took his pills and grabbed his cane. The living room and kitchen were both empty. He began to panic until he saw her out on the balcony with his robe on. He opened the door.

"Are you crazy?" he called. "It's twenty degrees outside." She had on his rain boots, also, which must have been at least a few sizes too big. He could see her foggy breath – her shivering hands.

"I just wanted to see it for a second," she said.

"Come in,"

"It's Christmas," she said. "Today."

"It's Christmas inside too," he begged. "Now I'm cold." She rolled her eyes and shuffled inside. Her face was red. "Go get in the shower and warm up."

"I'm fine," she said.

"You could get sick," he accused. "And those babies are half mine."

"Yeah, yeah," she said, and closed the bathroom door in his face. He called Wilson.

"Women are crazy," House said.

"Hello to you too," Wilson said.

"Are you coming to Christmas?"

"For dinner, I thought. Now?"

"Please," House said. "Come to my place."

Cuddy wasn't exactly surprised to see Wilson and House watching television when she came out.

"Merry Christmas," Wilson called.

"Yeah," Cuddy said. "We'll see." House liked when she was cynical. He decided to take a fast shower and when _he_ came out, Cuddy had taken his spot on the couch and Wilson had his hand on her belly.

"Hey, keep your paws off," House grumbled.

"The babies are moving," Cuddy explained.

"Still doesn't make him faithful," House said, pulling on his coat.

"Thank you," Wilson said. "I'll be taking that with a grain of salt."

House didn't look forward to Christmas but for this moment in the comfort of his place with his two best friends, with his family of choice, he was pleased.


	4. Chapter 4

The first week of January, Cuddy felt like a stranger to herself. She had cried more in the past seven days than she had in the past seven years. She got angry over the smallest things and she was at work more than ever due to being short staffed. Still, she got a few large donations and it made her board happy.

She needed to think about putting together and nursery, names, day care, maternity leave. She was scared. House was House, though. He spent her newly donated money like it was his own, he ditched his clinic hours, he took one patient a week at most and he treated his team like personal assistants.

At night, he let her put her cold feet on his warm legs and so she forgave him.

She'd begun to have erotic dreams about seducing him long ago – except for every day she got a little bigger and every day she felt more and more unattractive. Still, he was affectionate in a kind, subtle way that just made her want to jump him. Until one day, she did. Or night, rather.

He was asleep – he slept like the dead and she'd woken up from the sound of the heat switching on. She felt antsy and bored and not tired. She rolled around, re-fluffed her pillows and tossed until he put one arm over her and said,

"S'okay," before falling deeper again. It was sweet and she leaned down to kiss his shoulder, his cheek, his bottom lip that was sticking out just so. "Mmm," he said.

"Are you awake?" she asked.

"I am," he said, opening his eyes.

"I'm ready, Greg," she said, hoping he would understand.

"Okay," he said. "Good."

The logistics were more complex than she was used to. His leg and her girth had to be dealt with but he was gentle and slow and attentive and she didn't mind being on top and he liked it too. She liked falling asleep with only blankets and skin and the snow outside. It really was the most natural thing in the world – loving the father of her babies. They'd spent a lot of time fending off nature but sometimes it was good and right.

oooo

She was due at the end of March and had graduated to a real OB-GYN who demanded bed rest for the whole month.

"You're kidding," she said. "Right?"

"You're an older mother carrying twins. I'm surprised you didn't expect this."

"But…"

"Find an interim Dean, Dr. Cuddy, and go home."

Cuddy had asked Dr. Wilson, of course, but to leave the hospital? She drove home annoyed and left Wilson three voicemails during the six mile drive.

Her mother had footed the bill for the decorator to come and build a nursery out of the guestroom. She had tried to say no but her mother was still sore about being left out of the loop and so Cuddy had allowed it. The room had gone unisex since the sonogram predicted a boy and a girl. It was nice with a parade of animals on the walls and white, clean looking furniture.

She put on pajamas and sat in her new rocking chair and waited. She would be doing a lot of that now, it seemed. She tried to imagine the babies in the room with her, but when she closed her eyes, no image came. There were two cribs, a changing table, and the room smelled like paint and fresh carpet. House, on his last beer run, had brought home a package of newborn diapers and baby wipes.

"I can't imagine doing this and being poor," he'd said, carefully putting the diapers underneath the changing table. She'd hugged him and started to cry on his shoulder. "Hey," he'd said. "What's up?"

"All those years you were a jerk," she'd wailed. "You just needed to knock me up!"

"What?" he asked, rubbing circles on her back.

"Why are you nice to me? It makes me cry," she said, wiping her eyes.

"I just bought diapers," he said.

"A month early," she said.

"Cuddy, I'll take them back," he said. "Right now." But she didn't want him to leave. Instead she kissed him and even though it had only been 8:30, they'd gone to bed.

The phone ringing pulled her out of her day dream and she got up with some effort to find the cordless in the kitchen.

"Hello?" she answered, sitting at the wooden chair so she could take her weight off her small feet.

"Lisa?" The unmistakable drawl was too familiar to misplace. "It's Stacy."

"Oh," she said. "Hi!"

"Hi," Stacy said. "I know we haven't talked in a while."

"Well," Cuddy said. "I understood your wanting… distance but I'm glad you called."

"I called your office but they said you'd gone home. You must be…close."

"About a month," Cuddy said. "About to pop really."

"Wow," Stacy said, but she sounded far away.

"Stacy? Are you okay?" Cuddy asked.

"I called to… really, ask a favor," she said. "Mark and I… it's over."

"Oh, Stacy," she said. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you," she said. "I know it's bold of me after I left, but if my old job is still available, I'd be in your debt forever." Cuddy was surprised. She and Stacy hadn't spoken in months. Cuddy was sure that she was hurt, in some way, that House and Cuddy had started a relationship but here she was, asking for her old life back.

"You want to come back to Princeton-Plainsboro?" she asked.

"I do," Stacy said.

"I thought you were determined to make it work," Cuddy said.

"Mark left me, Lisa," Stacy said.

"You always have a job with me," Cuddy said, because it was what she'd promised when Stacy had left.

"Oh God, thanks," she said. "I can be there… in two weeks."

"That's fine. You just call if you need anything," she said.

"Um, how's Greg?" Stacy asked. Cuddy wanted to say, _mine_! but she didn't.

"He's well," she said. "He is… excited."

"Thanks again," Stacy said. "I'll be in touch."

"Bye," Cuddy said, and looked down at the phone in her hand. Cuddy had written her friendship with Stacy off as a casualty of the changes in life. Now she was back and it was just like Stacy – she always showed up at the strangest times. She wondered what House would think about this. Stacy tended to make him crazy. A wave of worry overcame her.

Would House leave her for Stacy?

"I've made a huge mistake," she said into the quiet of her house.

oooo

When House came home, she was sitting on the couch with a quilt wrapped around her, watching _Steel Magnolias_, crying.

"Wonderful," he muttered, tossing his coat toward the coat rack but missed. He left it on the floor. "Why do women watch this drivel?"

Cuddy didn't respond. He sat next to her and put his arm across the back of the couch. She sniffed loudly and looked at him.

"What?" he asked.

"I have to tell you something," she said.

"Are the babies okay? Is this about the bed rest?" he asked, sitting up.

"No, I'm okay," she said. "Stacy called me today."

"Oh," he said.

"She's coming back to work at the hospital," Cuddy said.

"Is this what you're crying about?" he asked. "Wilson already told me. He processed her paperwork and told me."

"I didn't want you to…" she shrugged. "It's Stacy."

"Cuddy," he said, leaning toward her, "You're beached with my babies. What kind of man do you take me for?"

"Beached?" she asked, frowning.

"It stopped working with Stacy a long time ago," he assured her. "But this? This works."

"We'll see," she said. "She has those pointy eyebrows and those pointy…eyebrows."

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she snapped, leaning back against him.

"I was thinking," he said, tapping the rubber foot of his cane against her coffee table, a habit she loathed. "What if I rented out my apartment?"

She paused the movie.

"What now?" she asked.

"I sleep here every night and with you confined to the house, you'll need the company more than ever," he said. "Plus I want to buy something cool with the extra money it will provide."

"You really want to give up your apartment?" she asked. "What's next, an engagement ring?"

"Don't hold your breath, Dr. Incubator," he said. Strangely, she wasn't surprised.

oooo

Cuddy wasn't very good about laying in bed when House was gone. She stayed in the house for the most part but on Stacy's first day back, she just couldn't stay away. Wilson was doing a fine job, of course, but when she appeared in her office in a pair of maternity jeans, Keds, and one of House's blue oxford shirts, Wilson looked strangely relieved.

"Your job sucks," he said.

"It's not that bad," she said. "I miss it."

"You're looking…" He stood up and shrugged.

"Enormous," she said. "It's okay."

"I can only wonder why you're here."

"Just wanted to pop in and get my mail," she said, flippantly.

"Yeah right," he said. "House is in his office and the elephant in the room hasn't come in yet."

"Thanks," she said. "I'll stop by before I go."

"Cuddy—" he stopped her. "I mean it when I say, I don't think you have a thing to worry about."

"Sure," she said.

"I'm serious. House is different. He's still House, but, with Stacy it was always compromises and substitutions and resignation, but with you and the pregnancy it's like he's…"

"Human?" she supplied.

"Yeah," he said.

"Don't jinx it by talking about it," she warned. "Stacy is going to be skinny."

"You're not fat, you're pregnant," Wilson called but she was already on her way out. People waved as she made her way to House's office. It took her a while to get there and she was out of breath by the time she did. Her feet were swollen from the added weight and it was hell on her back. She could see Cameron, Chase, and Foreman sitting at the table and House was writing "hallucinations" on his white board. He glanced up and saw her standing outside. His expression slid into a stern one. Cameron turned around to see what he was looking at and turned back around quickly when she spotted Cuddy. House pointed to his office and she went in there to wait, sinking gratefully into his chair. A few minutes later, his team dispersed and he came in to his office.

"You aren't supposed to drive," he said.

"I'm perfectly capable of driving," she said.

"Why are you even here?" he asked.

"I missed you," she said.

"LIAR!" he yelled, making her jump. "I'm the petty one in this relationship, so you can't be snooping around all jealously because it upsets our dynamic."

"I just… this is my hospital," she said. "I can't just keep sitting at home."

"You're going to need all the strength you can get to push those little demons out of you," he said. "You should save it." He reached out a hand to help her up. "I'll have Chase drive you home."

She took his hand and he pulled her up. He tugged on one of her curls and let go, watching it spring into place.

"I can drive myself," she grumbled but she knew it was a lost cause. "Greg?"

"Yes?" he said.

"I think it's almost time."

"For the babies?" he asked.

"I can feel them beginning to drop, to sit lower on my hips," she admitted. "It's going to be any day now."

"You've still got two weeks," he said.

"What if I go into labor while you're not there?" she asked.

"We have this all worked out. You're six miles away and an ambulance will come get you," he said. "There isn't anything to worry about." He put his hands on her stomach and felt a kick for his efforts. The phone rang and he reached around her and picked it up without breaking her eye contact. "House… okay."

"Who was that?" she asked, as he hung up.

"Wilson. Stacy is on her way to the office," he said. She felt a wave of panic and then a little dizzy. He moved his hands to her shoulders to hold her steady and leaned his mouth to her ear. "Lisa, it's just you and me in this room. You and me against the world." With that, he bit at her earlobe, just a little nip and she smiled, relieved. When they looked up, Stacy was in the hallway, watching with a terribly neutral expression; their display like a movie. When they noticed her, she came in with a formal knock.

"Good lord, look at you," she said to Cuddy who didn't step back from House.

"Welcome back," Stacy said. "I'd hug you, but it's like reaching across a dining room table."

"You should see the sex," House said. Cuddy and Stacy both froze and House smirked. He liked breaking the ice.


	5. Chapter 5

Cuddy didn't talk to House for three days, except to say, "If you still had your own place, you'd be sleeping there now."

She didn't banish him to the couch, though. She considered it, but she was unused to sleeping alone in her bed and in her sleep, she rolled over into him and she liked to sleep with her cheek pushed against his shoulder. In the morning, though, she would wake and remember to be angry and watch him get ready for work quietly. He apologized once, but it was really one too many times for his taste and she thought he secretly liked the quiet. Finally, he came home from work with a bouquet of yellow daisies and handed them to her with his head hung.

"All right," she said.

"Okay?" he said.

"Yeah," she said. "Okay."

She stood to put the flowers in water. She was filling a clear, glass vase with water in the sink when she felt a small gush between her legs. She shut off the water and set the vase down slowly and carefully. She could hear House's phone ring and by his tone, it sounded like he was talking to Chase. Their patient was a little girl but being out of the hospital, she was fuzzy on the details. Wilson tried not to bother her with the little details and she actually appreciated it. But now it was time to go back to the hospital.

She reached down and felt her inner thighs, the moisture there. She'd had a sort of dull, aching back pain all day and now it occurred to her that those may have been the beginning of labor. House came in and looked at her regretfully.

"I have to go back to the hospital," he said.

"Me too." She looked up, her eyes wide.

"You know you're supposed to be in bed," he began to argue.

"Greg, my water just broke," she said.

"Oh." He looked up, thinking. "Do you think you could ride the bike? I don't want to get embryonic fluid all over your Mercedes."

"Did you seriously just say that?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"That's probably a no, then," he said, walking away. "Go change, I'll call Wilson and we'll get your room all set up." He was being rather calm about the whole thing, she thought, so she decided to be calm to. She changed her underwear and her pants and put on her coat. The sun was just setting and it was still cold and he got the overnight bag and walked her out to the car. He opened the door for her and he didn't tend to drive real cars very often anymore because it _hurt_ but her pain was going to surpass his soon, so he set his jaw and pushed on the accelerator hard.

She had a private room, of course, and the check-in was all very smooth.

"First labors take a long time and we'd rather not do a cesarean if we can help it," her doctor said. "You won't be ready to push for a few hours at least, so get comfortable, Dr. Cuddy."

House sat on the chair by her bed and watched her watch him.

"I thought you had to check on your patient," she said.

"You know I only have one patient at a time and that kid just went to the back of the line," he said.

"Greg? Will you call my mom?" she asked.

"Yeah, babe," he said. "I'll go right now."

Alone in her room for a moment, she tried not to feel overwhelmed. They hadn't even decided on the names yet. In no time at all there would be two more people in the world and she didn't even know quite what to call them.

Wilson was waiting for House in his office.

"How is she?" he asked.

"All right, I think," House said. "I need to call her mother."

"House," Wilson said. "Your babies are coming. Say it out loud, it's tripping me out."

"My babies are coming," House said. "Oh God, that is weird."

"I'll go sit with her until you come back," Wilson said.

"We really are BFF," House said, picking up the receiver for the telephone. Wilson wasn't sure what that meant, so he said nothing.

Cuddy slept for the first few hours, mostly. Her progress was slow but they couldn't stop the contractions or the dilation since her water had broken already. She worried it was too early, but everyone assured her it was going to be okay. Her mother had caught the first flight and House kept assuring her that her mother would be there soon, but time was losing it's meaning for Cuddy. She'd received the epidural because she wasn't a masochist and it made everything a little fuzzy. She saw Chase and Wilson and Cameron peeked in every once in a while and always, always House.

It took ten hours for the pain to really come. And it came.

"I want my MOM," Cuddy screamed, squeezing House's hand so hard she felt something pop.

"Soon," House gasped. "Chase went to pick her up, any minute now."

"When?" she pleaded.

"Soon," House promised again. "Soon." Any other time, he would have mocked her for sounding like a five-year-old but her pain was so sincere. She was only half-way dilated and the contractions were still several minutes apart, but they were severe and she looked pale and sweaty. Finally, Mrs. Cuddy arrived and Cuddy burst into tears with relief.

"Oh Baby," Mrs. Cuddy said. "I'm here now."

Cuddy wanted everyone else out – even House. House was surprised and a little hurt to be asked to leave the delivery room but he left and sat outside the door on the floor, his long spine against the wall and he made a game out of trying to trip everyone who walked by with his cane. An hour of sitting there and he nearly tripped Stacy.

"Hey," she said. "That's a law suit waiting to happen."

"Hi," House said, sourly.

"How is it going in there?" she asked, looking past him, but the blinds had been drawn.

"I don't know," he said. "Banished for her _mom_."

"Ah, well," Stacy said. "Maybe it's a girl thing."

"Girls," House spat. "Who needs 'em."

"Get off the floor, Greg," Stacy said. "Let's sit down." Across the hall was a padded bench and only because he was in pain did he move. She sat next to him and they put their heads against the wall.

"So, what happened with Mark?"

She laughed a little, sullenly. "You know, I always blamed you for our breakups but maybe I'm the screw up."

"Nah, it's me," he said. "But in this situation, Mark is the fool."

"Thanks," she said.

"Why did you come back here? You could've gotten a job anywhere."

"I was happy here," she said. "It's a good job, I like this town, and my friends are here."

"Okay," he said. "Not because of me?"

"No, you selfish pig," she said, smacking his arm. "Well, I do miss you at times. But I know things are different now."

"This time I'm the happy one," he said.

"Are you?" she asked, studying his face. He nodded and she believed him. She wanted to ask him if he was in love with Cuddy but she couldn't get the words out. She was afraid any answer could potentially hurt. The door to Cuddy's room slid open and Mrs. Cuddy stepped out.

"Gregory, she would like to speak with you," Mrs. Cuddy said. House, relieved, went straight into the room and closed the door. Stacy stood and extended her hand.

"I'm Stacy Warner," she said. "You must be Mrs. Cuddy."

"I am. You must be the ex-girlfriend," Stacy was startled by her candidness and withdrew her hand. She swallowed and recovered.

"Dr. House and I had a relationship once," she conceded. "That's over now."

"Oh yes," Mrs. Cuddy said. "So I hear." Stacy, acutely uncomfortable, smiled falsely.

"I really must be getting back to work. Congratulations on your grandchildren."

"Bye dear!" Mrs. Cuddy said, not sorry to see her go. Mrs. Cuddy did not condone extramarital affairs nor did she appreciate her daughter's boyfriend having an beautiful ex nearby.

In the room, Cuddy was tired and lingering on the edge of sleep. The pain kept her from any real rest and she'd begun to feel guilty about sending him away. It was early now, almost seven am and she'd been in labor all night.

"Hi," Cuddy said.

"How you doing?" House asked.

"Tired," she said.

"You're at eight centimeters, babe, it won't be long now," he promised her. "Close your eyes for a while."

"Will you stay?" she asked.

"I'll stick around for a while, I suppose," he teased.

But she couldn't sleep. Mrs. Cuddy went to get a hot meal and House fed Cuddy ice chips and touched her hair.

"What about names?" she asked, sleepily. "We never decided. Our babies will just be Does." She was cute when she was delirious but House kept the observation to himself.

"We have a short list," he reminded her.

"My last name," she said.

"Whatever you want," he agreed.

"You like Peter but I don't," she said. He could see fresh beads of sweat forming on her forehead and he realized another contraction was coming.

"No Peter, it's loathsome," he said. "Breathe."

"I like Jack," she said, through clenched teeth.

"Okay," he said. "Now we're like, halfway done." But she was gone, working through the pain, and when she was through it, exhaustion kept her silent. "I like Marianne."

"Pretty," she mumbled. "My babies."

oooo

Then it was time and by that afternoon he was a father. Just like that – two more people were in the world. Cuddy, after holding them, nursing them, and getting stitched up, slept hard. House was free to go watch his babies through the window in the hospital nursery. He left a drugged Cuddy and found Cameron, Chase, and Foreman standing at the window, looking in at all the newborns, at the twins.

"You know the girl in the next room is only 19 and she only has one baby," he said. "Hot."

"Hey," Foreman said. "You look awful."

"Compared to…" House asked.

"Tiny House spawn… I don't know man," Foreman said, turning back to the babies.

"Don't listen to him," Chase said.

"You make beautiful babies," Cameron said, wistfully.

"Any names?" Foreman asked.

"Marianne and Jack. Now go away." Chase shook his head at House's continual lack of protocol but the three left and House moved to the doorway to get a closer look at his children. Their placards only read "House-Cuddy." It was strange to see both their names there and when he walked up, the babies were so _small_. The nurse bustled in but recognized House and so she let him stay.

"Hi children," House said, pulling up a chair between them. "I'm Dr. House."

Marianne was asleep but Jack opened his eyes and they were, of course, blue. House picked him up. They were only about five pounds each and he was wrinkled and fit well into his arms.

"Wow," said House. The nurse, across the room, chuckled.


	6. Chapter 6

Life was completely, utterly different. Cuddy was tired, sore, out of shape, and short-tempered. No one slept and House's Vicodin intake had at least doubled. The babies slept for about an hour at a time but it was rarely at the _same_ time. House felt bad leaving her every morning to go to work but once he got there, he would kick one of the residents out of the break room and take a nap for an hour until Cameron came and nagged him awake.

House was tired of the snow and tired of sick people and tired of Wilson being in charge and making him go to the clinic to help people. He hated helping people, he just liked solving puzzles. He was sitting in his office, sleeping with his eyes open, when Wilson came in.

"Just looking at you makes me never want children," Wilson said.

"I'm busy," House said.

"You're actually not," Wilson said. "I'm busy. But still, I come down to speak with the common people."

"You hate her job, don't you?" he asked.

"With every fiber of my being," Wilson said, sitting on House's sofa. "Who would take this hateful position?"

"She's a good politician," House said. "She asks for things and people just want to give them to her."

"Like sperm?" Wilson asked.

"Oh, you," House said, mockingly.

"Like love and marriage?" Wilson prodded.

"Maybe when the twins graduate from college," he scoffed.

"Whoa," Wilson said. "You said 'maybe.'"

"Go away now," House pleaded. "I'm tired and very liable to kill someone and I'm not feeling very particular about who."

"Cuddy said her mom left yesterday," Wilson ignored him.

"Yeah, Cuddy was kind of bummed. I think we're going to hire a nanny when she comes back to work."

"She's got a while, still," Wilson mourned.

"Shouldn't you be telling me to go to the clinic or something?" House asked, rubbing his face and pulling his legs off the desk.

"What do I care?" Wilson asked.

"God bless maternity leave."

House closed his eyes for a nap.

oooo

House knew to enter the house very quietly. If the babies were asleep and he woke them, it was not ever going to be good. The house was quiet and he closed the door softly. He could hear the repetitive squeak that betrayed the elliptical machine and so he walked past the open door of the nursery to see both babies asleep. In the bedroom, Cuddy had pulled the exercise machine out from beneath the bed and was already covered in sweat.

"Hi," she said, seeing him, breathing hard.

"Aren't you still all… puffy down there?" he asked.

"Nah, it's all just fat now," she said. "Are they still asleep?"

"Yeah," he said, pulling off his coat and tossing it on the bed, a habit he knew she hated. He liked to bait her.

"How was work?"

"Wilson is miserable, so pretty good," he said. "How much longer on that thing?"

"Ten minutes," she said. "Or until I hear crying."

"I have a surprise for you," he said.

"For me?" she asked, pushing the off button of the machine. "Ten minutes was a pipe dream."

"Tonight a team of highly trained baby specialists are coming to watch the twins for two hours so we can go out and get a fancy meal in a nice restaurant," he said proudly.

"No," she said.

"Wait, what?"

"It's only been a few weeks and I'm not sure I'm ready to leave them yet."

"It's just a few hours, and they'll be in the finest care."

"And by highly trained baby specialists you mean?"

"Doctors."

"And by team you mean?"

"Cameron. Maybe Chase," he conceded.

"Greg…"

"They offered and I merely accepted. Come on, Lisa, you know you'd like to see the world again for a bit."

"I don't know,"

"Please?" he asked. "I don't say that often."

"I reserve the right to call every fifteen minutes," she said. "And if Cameron tries to steal my babies because she's psychotically in love with you, I get to kill her with my bare hands."

"That is more than fair," House agreed. "They're going to be here in half an hour, so get ready."

"Okay," she said and went to take a shower. House went into the nursery and sat tiredly in the rocking chair. Jack was still asleep but Marianne had her eyes open and when he leaned over the crib, her little hands waved in the air.

"Hi Princess," he said, hefting her into his arms. He picked up a bottle that Cuddy had left on the changing table and guided it into her hungry mouth. When he heard the knocking on the door, he stood up with the now drowsy, full baby and hobbled to the door. Cameron and Chase both stood on the porch and they looked strangely out of place without their lab coats.

"You're early," he said, ushering them in.

"Sorry," Cameron said, looking around. "Where's Dr. Cuddy?"

"In the shower," House said.

"Nice," said Chase and House smacked his shin with his cane. "Ow!" Cameron smirked.

"That's somebody's mother you're talking about," he scolded.

"Is that Marianne?" Cameron said, looking like she wanted to take the girl straight from his arms but knew better.

"She just ate," House said. "Jack will be hungry when he wakes up and they are both shit machines so don't be squeamish about the diaper changing. They'll sleep, mostly, and if Cuddy calls every twenty seconds, I want you to act like you love it. If you screw up, I'll kill each of you slowly and painfully. Got it?"

"I used to baby sit all the time," Cameron said.

"I'm sure you were the best and prettiest on the block, but these are my children. They're obviously better than all others before," House snapped.

"We'll be fine," Chase assured him.

"If you two have sex in my house on the clock, it will get ugly fast," House warned.

"You know, we're doing _you_ the favor…"

"Chase, just… no," Cameron said. "Don't worry. We'll be fine."

"Sit quietly on the couch until we're ready for you," House said and left them to go down the hall. Cuddy was in her robe in the nursery, pulling Jack out of his crib.

"He was crying," she cooed. "Where's that bottle?"

"Your piggy daughter ate it all," he said. "Let the lackey's feed him and you go get ready," he said, putting Marianne back into the crib.

"Did you lay down the law?" she asked.

"You know it."

"That's my man," she said, kissing him lightly, Jack between them. "There's another bottle in the fridge."

Cameron was more than happy to take the baby into her arms and press the warmed bottle to his blistered lips. House and Cuddy left and Chase watched Cameron feed the baby with ease.

"Is it odd?" he asked.

"Feeding a baby? It's pretty easy," she said.

"No, holding House's baby."

"Oh," she said, looking down. "Go get Marianne and try it out." Chase rolled his eyes and went to get the girl. When he sat next to Cameron, Marianne went back to sleep in his arms.

"I never had a thing for House," Chase said. "I never thought this might be me someday."

"I knew what you meant," Cameron said. "Maybe it is strange, but I mean, you know how House has been lately."

"Happy?" said Chase.

"I would have never made him like that," Cameron said.

"No," Chase said.

oooo

Two hours later, House and Cuddy were standing on the front porch, necking. They'd been home for about ten minutes and Cuddy had been about to slide the key into the lock when House slid his hand around her waist and coaxed her back against the wall. His lips were insistent and warm against hers. Her hands were flat against his lapels and then wound up around his neck. He let his good leg worm between hers and he pressed his thigh against her center so she gasped into his mouth.

He was thinking about taking her right there for the neighbors to see when the porch light started flashing.

"Five more minutes!" House yelled and Cuddy giggled. But the door opened and Chase stood there looking stern.

"Get a room," he said. Cameron appeared behind him with a kind of shell shocked expression.

"Watching the whole time, were you?" House asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Cuddy elbowed him and they walked in the house. Cuddy went straight to the nursery to check on her sleeping twins and House watched Chase help Cameron on with her coat. Cuddy, satisfied the babies were unharmed, came out smiling.

"Thanks again, guys," she said. "It was so kind of you to offer to watch them."

"Well, we had a deal," Cameron reminded him.

"Oh?" Cuddy asked.

"It's still on. Monday for the rest of the month is torment Foreman day," House promised gleefully.

"You know, I don't think this sort of thing happens at _other_ hospitals," Cuddy grumbled.

"Ha," House said.

"Goodnight," Chase said, ushering Cameron away toward his car.

"Night," Cuddy called and closed the door, turning the deadbolt. "Alone at last."

"Yes," House said, pulling her toward him. The baby monitor on the coffee table started to crackle and then the wails came out clear as day. "Well, kind of," he said. But Cuddy was already out of his arms, going to tend to their children. But he wasn't disappointed.

He knew he would never be alone again.


End file.
